Amid significant layoffs, Tesla delays Cybertruck deliveries

Just as one wave subsides, another rises. Tesla is currently facing a continuous decline in its stock price due to weak first-quarter deliveries and global layoffs exceeding 10%, while its latest electric pickup truck model, Cybertruck, is also facing delivery delays.

On April 15th, it was reported by the media that Tesla has notified prospective Cybertruck owners that due to "unexpected delays in vehicle preparation work," the original delivery plans had to be temporarily put on hold.

The Tesla Cybertruck was scheduled to begin deliveries in November 2023. However, recent reports indicate that several prospective Cybertruck owners who had placed orders expressed that their weekend delivery appointments for the Cybertruck had been rescheduled by Tesla due to production issues. The new delivery dates are uncertain at the moment, and Tesla will inform them of the revised delivery schedule once confirmed.

One Cybertruck buyer, Max Pyko, mentioned that he was originally scheduled to pick up his vehicle on April 13th but received a text message informing him of the delivery delay, with the new possible delivery date being April 20th.

The message sent to Pyko by Tesla stated: "We have just learned that there has been an unexpected delay in preparing your vehicle. We need to cancel your delivery appointment for tomorrow, and we will contact you again when we can reschedule your time."

In a second message to Pyko, Tesla mentioned: "Based on the current situation, it will take at least until April 20th to resolve this issue, and it may take even longer. Tesla is working hard to quickly deliver improved parts to all affected locations."

According to comments on the Cybertruck Owners Club forum, many owners have received notifications that their delivery plans have been postponed.

The reason for the delay is currently unclear, but some owners have mentioned that dealers informed them that their vehicles were recalled due to an accelerator pedal issue. Another owner stated that Tesla sent a message explaining that the reason for the delayed delivery was related to the accelerator pedal, while some owners received messages vaguely mentioning "issues with vehicle preparation."

A Cybertruck owner posted a video on social media showing that the cover of their accelerator pedal was stuck, causing it to remain at "100% throttle position." The owner mentioned that pressing the brake could stop the vehicle from accelerating further, but releasing the brake would cause it to accelerate again.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in the United States stated on Tuesday that they have taken note of this issue and are "in contact with the manufacturer to gather more information."In January, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of the United States announced that Tesla was recalling nearly 2.2 million vehicles in the U.S. due to non-compliance with the requirements for the brake, parking, and anti-lock brake warning lights on the dashboard, including the recently launched Cybertruck.

Tesla has faced delivery challenges this year, with a "Waterloo" in the first quarter as Tesla deliveries fell by 8.5% year-on-year to about 386,800 vehicles, a more than 20% decrease from the previous quarter, far below analysts' previous expectations of 449,000 vehicles, marking the largest shortfall from expectations on record.

Wedbush analyst Dan Ives called it "an inexplicable disaster," despite previous poor expectations. This disappointing performance also suggests that Tesla may struggle to meet the first-quarter profit expectations that have already been lowered by Wall Street.

In overnight trading, Tesla led the decline for two consecutive days, closing down 2.7%, marking a third consecutive day of decline and hitting the lowest closing level since April 26, 2023, with a year-to-date decline of 36.7%.